Artificial leg.



PATENTED NOV. 3, 1903.

0. A. PREES.

ARTIFICIAL LEG.

APPLICATION FILED PEB.. 9, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

FIG- 2- FIG- I.

FIG. l7-

Pie. 6. FIG]. 53

brown/for.-

Tu: NORRIS PEYERS :0 mom-mm UNITED STATES iatented November a, 1903. I

Cl-IANCY A. FREE S, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ARTIFICIAL LEG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 742,853,.dated November 3, 1903.

Application filed February 9, 1903. Serial No. 142,464. (No model.)

To all 10730721 it may concern:

Be it known that LOHANCY A. FREES, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York city, Manhattan, county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Artificial Legs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to various improvements in artificial legs by which strength, freedom of motion, and comfort to the-wearer are insured.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side View, partly in section, of my improved artificial leg; Fig. 2, a rear view, partly in section, thereof; Fig. 3, a longitudinal section of the ankle-joint; Fig. 3, a detail of the ankle-joint barrel; Fig. 4, an end View of Fig. 3. Figs. 5 to 11 are details of the joint be tween thigh-bar and leg-bar. are details of the heel-tendon anchorage. Fig. 15 is a detail of the toe-spring with the sack partly broken away; Fig. 16, a perspective view of the ankle-block, and Fig. 17 a detail of the stump-socket.

The letter a represents the lower leg proper, c the foot, and b the intervening ankle-piece, of an artificial leg. The ankle joint be.- tween leg at and ankle-piece b is illustrated more fully in Figs. 3, 3, and 4, such joint serving also serving for connecting the anklepiece to the foot. The joint is composed of a transverse barrel (1, having a lower bearing from end to end in a corresponding socket b of ankle-piece b, and an upper bearing in a socket a. of leg at. The barrel (1 is secured to leg a, by a pair of upwardly-extending bolts cl, carrying nuts d Within the hollow of the barrel and between the bolts d is contained a cylindrical plug d around which the barrel is rotatable. From the plug depends a fork d, which projects downwardly through a transverse slot d of barrel d. The fork is provided with an upwardly-extending screw-pin (Z that engages a threaded socket or perforation of plug (i and thus intimately connects the fork with the plug, so that they will rotate together. From the fork is suspended a bolt d by a pivot d extending at right angles to the axis of barrel d, the whole constituting a universal joint. The bolt d serves to attach the joint to the foot 0 by a nut (1 It will be seen that by fitting Figs. 12 to 14.

the plug d Within the hollow of barrel d the entire length of the latter may be supported upon its bearing, so that superior strength of the joint is obtained. Any axial displacement of the barrel within its bearings is pre- I depression of bearing 6 and prevents axial displacement.

The lower forward end of the leg (1 is overlapped bya curved plate or guardf, projecting upwardly from the ankle-piece b and within which the leg is free to rock. The

guardfis arranged concentric to the anklejoint d d and at a distance in front of the same. It is rigidly connected to the anklepiece and disconnected entirely from the leg or foot, so that the leg may rock back and forth beneath the guard, while the leg and ankle-piece may rock laterally on the foot. A second plate f is fitted upon the top of ankle-piece 6 between guard fand barrel (1, the plates f f serving to reinforce the anklepiece. The top plate f serves, further, as an abutment for the leg proper, which prevents contact between ankle-piece and leg, and thus reduces wear of the parts.

The toe .g is composed of a pad of felt or other resilient material, which is cemented to the foot 0. Longitudinally through the toepad extends a slit which is open at either one or both ends, the drawings showing it closed in front and open at the back. Within the slit is placed a flat spring h, surrounded by a flexible envelop or sack h, the parts h and h being attached at their rear end to the foot 0 by a screw 71. which passes through the rear of toe g. By the construction described the spring is surrounded on all sides by the flexible pad and is thus effectively protected. Should the spring break, however, all of its parts may be simultaneously withdrawn from the pad by pulling out the sack h, which incloses and assembles the same.

i represents the heel-tendon, secured-to the log by hook 11 and passing through the anklepiece b and foot 0. The lower end of tendon 'i is doubled around a pin j, which has a bearing atj within the lower flange 7' of a tubular collar 7' through which the tendon t passes. The flange 9' of collar 7' bears against a corresponding offset of foot cabove the heelpad The construction described insures a superior anchorage of great strength for the lower end of the heel-tendon.

" Figs. to ll'illustrate the construction of the joint between the thigh-bar k and the legbar Z. The upper end of the leg-bar is slotted vertically, as at Z, to form a pair of cheeks Z These cheeks are perforated, as at Z to form the bearings for the pivot M, which connects the thigh-bar to the leg-bar and which is rotatable in its bearings. The pivot is of peculiar construction, being provided with a central transverse slot of a depth to extend beyond the axis of the pivot. Thus there are formed two disks m, connected at their periphery by a bridge m, each of the disks being received by one of the bearings Z The slot m of the pivot is of the same Width as the slot 1 of the leg-bar Z, so that such slots register with one another. Through the slots Z m projects the lower end of the thigh-bar 70, which is rigidly attached to the pivot M by a pin 71, passing through perforations of disks m and through a perforation is of the thighbar It. The lower edge 70 of the thigh-bar abuts against the bridge m of pivot M and prevents independent movement between thigh-bar and pivot. A nose 70 on the thighbar, which is adapted to contact with the base of slot Z, forms a stop-hinge for limiting the play of the jointin the forward direction. It

will be seen that by the construction described a solid bearing is formed for the entire length of the pivot M and that an enlarged contactsurface for the joint is obtained.

has an upper flange 0' projecting over the upper edge of leg a. Between the leg a and the flange 0 is interposed an annular flexible gasket 0 which takes up any sudden jars or jolts in walking, and thus increases the comfort of the wearer.

What I claim is 1. In an artificial leg, the combination of an ankle-piece, with a rotatable slotted barrel supported thereon, means for securing the barrel to the leg proper, a perforated plug within the barrel, a fork having a screw-pin that engages the plug-perforation, and a bolt pivoted to the fork, substantially as specified.

2. In an artificial leg, the combination of an ankle-piece, with a leg proper, an intervening joint, a top plate on the ankle-piece in front of the joint that forms an abutment for the leg proper, and an upwardly-extending curved guard on the ankle-piece which overlaps the leg proper, substantially as specified.

3. An artificial leg provided with a foot, a longitudinally-slitted flexible toe-pad, an en velop removable within the toe-pad slit, a spring within the envelop, and a screw which connects the rear end of the spring to the foot, substantially as specified.

4. An artificial leg provided with a slotted perforated leg-bar, a slotted pivot rotatable therein, and a thigh-bar connected to said pivot, substantially as specified.

' Signed by me at New York city, (Manhattan,) New York, this 7th day of February, 1903.

OHANCY A. FREES.

Witnesses:

F. v. BRIEsEN, EDWARD RAY. 

